Ebert smack-down round-up

After the controversy of Minutegate, Roger Ebert has found it necessary to redeem himself. In case you had not heard, Ebert "walked out", or rather turned off, a movie after 8 minutes and then wrote a scathing review. At least he was honest enough to mention this in his review, you might say. But this was an independent movie about gay kids with no publicity (until now, anyway), and the weight of Ebert's disproportionately large thumb has the ability to stamp out any prospects for what looks like a well meaning (although, according to Ebert, very poorly made) film.

There is little question, though, that his latest blog posting has fully redeemed him. "I may make mistakes from time to time," Ebert seems to be saying, "but for some critics, their entire career is a mistake." I wonder which critic he was talking about?

Well, it has not taken long for people to figure it out. Ebert, to his credit, never mentions the poor lad's name but makes it absolutely clear who he is talking about. I mean, who else has "friends" throw them a party in Vegas with the "Britney Spears of Korea"? Must be talking about the K-Fed of Korea.

Below is some of the buzz on the blogosphere and beyond. But first, a special shout out to Thighs Wide Shut--the originator of the image above-- with Thumbs Downing His Knows. They seem to have allowed Ben and Harry to take over their entire page.

Second, it is worth pointing out Gawker's critical assessment of Ebert's article. They write:

Then there's this piece of useful advice: "But in hard times like these, do not say, "Reason enough to get it!" Of course in his 2006 review of Take the Lead, [Ebert] says: "That said, Antonio Banderas is reason enough to see the movie."

But this takes Ebert's words totally out of context. What Ebert actually says is this:

It is admirable that the DVD of "Cool Hand Luke" contains an extra where they guess how many eggs Paul Newman ate while filming the egg-eating scene. But in hard times like these, do not say, "Reason enough to get it!"

Anyway, here is a sampling of the rest:

Cinematical: Ebert Lays Down the Law for Critic Conduct

Defamer: Ben Lyons Gleans Valuable Starfucking Tips From Roger Ebert

PopWatch: Roger Ebert savages rule-violating film critics (one critic in particular)

Karina on SpoutBlog: Roger Ebert’s Code For Critics: Don’t Be Ben Lyons

The Portland Mercury: The Eeb Has No Patience for Hackery

Movie Man: Roger's Rules for Critics